LAS VEGAS – Jessica Rakoczy has been in big fights. She’s a highly accomplished boxer, so Saturday’s Season 18 Finale of “The Ultimate Fighter” should be old hat.

But it’s not. Rakoczy told MMAjunkie what she’s experiencing trying to become the first women’s “Ultimate Fighter” is at another level.

“This level here is like nothing I’ve ever done before,” Rakoczy said. “I’ve been in big fights and had a lot of exposure, but this right here is the biggest I’ve ever had.”

Rakoczy was an underdog all season in the house, and she’ll be one again on Saturday at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas against Julianna Pena.

But that’s not something she’s letting get to her. If anything, it may be serving as a little extra motivation.

“You always feel like you have to prove something,” she said. “For me, being the underdog in this sport was OK because you just have to keep reaching and reaching. For me, it just didn’t feel like as much pressure because they weren’t expecting anything from me. It’s a lot easier that way.”

And that way, Rakoczy isn’t putting any extra pressure on herself to win. But make no mistake, winning the show would be huge.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but this definitely is one of the biggest fights I’ve ever had,” she said. “I know I have to win this fight to accomplish anything in the UFC. It took a lot of years to win my (boxing) titles, and a lot of sacrifice. This has been very hard for me, and obviously emotional. But this would mean everything if I could win this – right up there with those belts.”